Lee wants to go faster

In his thirties and on the comeback trail from injury, express paceman Brett Lee still harbours ambitions to break the 100mph (160kmh) barrier.

Bowling constantly above the 150kmh mark, Lee claimed a match-winning 5-49 as Australia wrapped up the best-of-seven one-day series after just four matches.

It was Lee's ninth bag of five on the ODI arena but only his second at Lord's.

The ball was already being showcased in the Lord's Museum by match end.

That Lee can still bowl at such high speeds after a horror run with injury in the past 12 months is testament to the 32-year-old's dedication off the field.

Nothing will make up for sitting out the entire Ashes series or seeing the urn relinquished, Lee said, but his recent excellent form provides a silver lining.

Long-time team-mates have commented recently they have never seen Lee fitter than now during his 10-year international career.

Lee is just over a fortnight, or five matches, into his latest comeback. That's still well short of the two months experts believe it takes for quicks to regain their full pace, he said.

"I've bowled 160 (kmh) a few times over the last couple of seasons, but I'm really happy with the way the pace is going," said Lee, who first broke the 160kmh barrier in New Zealand in 2005.

"I want to keep increasing my speed as I have during this series, starting off 88mph and working up to 96mph."

"There's no reason I can't go faster but at the end of the day if you bowl 98mph (156.8kmh) and spray them everywhere it's not very effective."

"There's a happy medium, but Id like to see my pace keep increasing and pushing 100mph."

"Once I get to South Africa I'll take that challenge up."

Lee, playing his first one-day series for Australia since July 2008, said his latest five-for ranked as close to the best of the 19 next to his name in international cricket, particularly as what was at stake for the team and himself.

"Taking five at Lord's, it doesn't get much better than that," he said.

"It's obviously a very big series for me, my first series back after 12 months away from Australia. It's been that long since I played in a one-day series so it's very important for me and I'm just trying to enjoy every single match that I get the chance to play."

Lee's yorker was particularly lethal, reaping him four victims.

"And you have these days in your life when things just click. Today was one of those days," he said.

"The yorker was landing where I wanted it to land, I felt pretty strong at the crease and walking away with a five-for is a special feeling."

England captain Andrew Strauss, whose batsmen again folded meekly, said his team was powerless to stop Lee when he was in such a mood.

"If a guy's bowling 95mph yorkers, it's hard work, especially when you're looking to score in the power plays," he said.

"I think you've got to give credit where it's due. I thought it was a sensational spell of bowling."